Riff Journal | Summer 2015 | Issue 4 by Riff Journal

ESSONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS 05 A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER

Defining Deliberate Practice and keeping the goal attainable

06 AUDIO CHRONICLES WITH

JOHNNY WINTER

Exclusive audio interview with Andy Aledort

12 MASSIMO VARINI: LA DOLCE VITA

Get to know the Italian Maestro of Guitar Massimo Varini - tales of pizza and passion

TF: If not yours CV: Not sure, b Mayweather.

20 SHERYL BAILEY: ITS IN THE GENES

Jazz luminary Sheryl Bailey shares her thoughts on swing, bebop and insights

LESSONS

TF: Your favorit CV: Anything th Artichokes, Itali oysters with tha

SKILL LEVEL - BEGINNER

26 CARL VERHEYEN: SPECIAL FORCES

FEAR

Elite player, elite talent, elite BBQer, MASTERY regular guy

WHAT IF WHAT YOU DO TO32SURVIVE SPECIAL FORCES KILLS THE THINGS YOU LOVELESSON: ON OVERCOMING FEAR 26 THING 36 LESSON: BLACK MOUNTAIN RAG FEAR’S A DANGEROUS IT CAN TURN YOUR HEART BLACK 40 LESSON: BUILDING BLOCKS FOR YOU CAN TRUST… GUITARISTS --BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, “DEVILS & DUST” AUDIO CHRONICLES: 44 LESSON: THE POWER OF LESS

TF: Why guitar? resonates with y CV: First and fo both electric an higher levels of hearing that sou that it can be pl can accompany And the fact tha can see what yo lot to do with its

PRACTICE TIPS

TF: Name the th learned — and no Les Wise tackles big fear with his words as a guitar we often carry around with us isplaye fear. F of wisdom on the subject of sources, partCV: psychological, part soc 1) Whenev simplest explanation is that it remains your very reconditioning. You may think best. you haveE doesn’t change 2) the Learn fact that fear is a m every s its will on you. the guitar will be Doc Watson’s tune, keeps the magic, the The really bad part aboutbe fearinfinite is that w You’ll music and the mastery alive acts as a kind of emotional pollutant th than one kind o poisonous to us then when we engage than three decades, I’ve taught tho 3) Iand always mak and master the principles of music the time to isthe next of negative consequences what’s mo dominate the thing we as musiciansse re sight reading read through. If The answers here are complex, but the Advice from Mark Wein on practicing and concert I practic mastering the guitar TOO MUCH TO LEARN, TOO LITTLE TIME

Elite player, elite talent, elite BBQer, regular guy

Photos by Alison

JOHNNY WINTER

SKILL LEVEL - ADVANCED

Exclusive audio interview with Andy Aledort

ON OVERCOMING FEAR

Les Wise tackles big fear with his PROGRESSIONS words of wisdom on the subject

l i f 06 e lo n g HARMONY

LESS

Less is definitely more when it comes exploring harmonic possibilities and unique sounds

Example 1 - ii V I EXAMPLE 1 - ii V I 48 LESSON: GETTING A GRIP

Standard tuning

Standard Tuning

= 120

ON OVERCOMING PRACTICING FROM FEAR

Cm9

Guitar

Written by Les Wise

THE POWER OF LESS

SUMMER | ISSUE 4 Less is2015 definitely more

THE POWER OF LESS SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

CV: Moby Dick

Sadly, the attempt to master more than practice necessary to get really good o TF: Given allcome the good player. In this case, the fear to learn it all. The fear of not being able business landsca shotgun approach to p Andy Aledort helps us get a grip on thetranslates into atough is toof sell B9 BbMajor9 Bb6/9 The old adage,it“Jack one thing. all tr expressive signature styling bends of blues 2 3 4 of not learning it all results in not le fear about the curren including those in the second main cat great Albert King

Last year, on June 16, 2014, the world called him a “cross-eyed albino with long, lost one of the true shining stars of the fleecy hair, who plays some of the gutsiest, guitar, legendary blues/rock guitar great fluid blues guitar you’ve ever heard.” 5 the Fear is a powerful thing. It can make you do things you don’t want to do. It also64 can prevent you from doing Johnny Winter. Back in the winter of ’68, 4 7 article, 6 Instigated by the Rolling Stone things you really love. the unknown and unsigned twenty-four year-old Winter arrived in New York City as Steve Paul, musical entrepreneur and a newfound guitar slinger from the small, owner of the trendy New York 8 nightspot 7 If you’re reading this, then I suspect it’s safe assume playing music is one ofdown yourin greatest loves in life. rural town of Beaumont, Texas,to armed with thatThe Scene Club, tracked Johnny more than an overflowing Texasaand brought him to the usually big city with Unfortunately, learninglittle to play music and the arsenal desireofto become great musician brings with it some fiery blues guitar ammunition. Nothing the intention of securing a record deal. On uncomfortable emotional baggage—and one of the heaviestJohnny’s and most pernicious items of emotional luggage much about him was known, but the wordvery first night in town, he joined of-mouth was white-hot: Rolling Stone had his old friend Mike Bloomfield on stage

CV: If you have “now what” plan AN OVERWHELMING SENSE OF BEING OV

52 SONNY LANDRETH: THE BEAUTIFUL

touTHErLIFELONG TOUR

when it comes to exploring harmonic possibilities and unique sounds

One of the biggest fear generators I’ve Youramount favorit lot of material inTF: the limited of hours a day or more, will never be a CV:you I WILL NOT every nuance, etc. The conscious know to learning capacity and time is somethin want to try to master all in asfavorit little tim TF: itYour everything in the time you have.

5 3 5

DANCE

When33 we first pick up our instruments 5 discovery and promise. New chords, ne Then6you start to wonder if you could a really meaningful to you, and maybe ev great player starts to creep in.

Learn where the magical sound of Sonny’s slide comes from and how it continues to If we take away the bass note in each of the chords, we are left with a three-note-voicing as shown in Example 2. A life on the road as a musician WANT MORE? VIEW CARL’S COURSES ON TRUEFIRE inspire SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4 If you were comping in a group, you could easily move from chord to chord. And if there’s a bass player holding it crafts the art of the guitar and down, there’s no need to crowd the low register anyway. Here’s the great thing, although the bass notes are gone, we still retain the harmonic color of each chord. Plus, it gets us thinking and hearing beyond from having to voice life as long as you have all a chord with the root in the bass. senses open A life on the road as a musician crafts the art By David Becker of the guitar and life as long as you have all senses open Three Note Voicings

58 THE LIFELONG TOUR RIFF

I made my first European trip when I was two years who worked for the airlines during the heyday old, just as my two older brothers had done before of air travel (1960’s-70’s), I was destined to have me (although I believe I was in the womb on one of been bitten by the travel bug. The fact that my Written by Harvey Valdez our family trips). Every year, we would travel for a family was musical sealed the deal on becoming a month, usually during the school semester, so my traveling musician. parents would give a note to the principal excusing et’s face it, playing chords with awkward fingerings is a pain in the hand. But this shouldn’t stop us. We would receive homework, but never did it. I My very first musical trip was in 1981 at the age s from exploring all of our harmonic possibilities. Oftentimes by eliminating notes from a think somehow we knew that travel would be the of 19 when I’d just graduated GIT. My goal was to ifficult grip, we end up with really unique best sounds. So, playing gives us11, more! education we couldless get!usually By the time I was I play in Europe and find a recording contract. By

Example 2 - ii V I EXAMPLE 2 - ii V I Three-Note-Voicings

Standard tuning

Standard Tuning

= 120 Cm9 1

Guitar

B9 2

BbMajor9 3

Bb6/9 4

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BUILDING THE MASTER'S WOODSHED

THE BEAUTIFUL DANCE

Learn where the magical sound of Sonny’s slide comes from and how it continues to inspire

Foreward By Jeff Scheetz

JEFF MCERLAIN: BUILDING THE MASTER'S WOODSHED

BEHIND THE GLASS

GEEK SPEAK

SIX-STRING AFICIONADO: STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

R 2015 | ISSUE 4

Jeff is creating an army of dedicated players - one guitarist at a time

TrueFire’s Tommy Jamin gives a sneak peek on the studio process while shedding light on some of his memorable sessions. This issue he reflects on Sheryl Bailey’s recent visit.

Expand your vocabulary with guitar terminology

A spotlight on TrueFire student Andy Smith

RIFF JOURNAL ARTIST DIRECTORY

Full listing and interactive links from the featured artists and educators

RIFFAGE: FEATURED ALBUM COMPILATION

Get your FREE download of featured music from Riff artists

BEHIND THE GLASS

CLOSING SNAPSHOTS

Photos from backstage, behind-the-scenes and on the road

TrueFire’s Tommy Jamin gives a sneak peek on the studio process while shedding light on some of his memorable sessions. This issue he reflects on Sheryl Bailey’s recent visit.

Be sure to download the Free Riffage compilation including songs from the artists featured in this issue!

70 RIFF 3

SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

CONTRIBUTORS “But music, don’t you know, is a dream from which the veils have been lifted. It’s not even the expression of a feeling, it's the feeling itself.” - Claude Debussy Meet the Riff Band. We can’t wait to present our edition to you and share our passion with readers each quarter. In the meantime, shout out to us anytime online with feedback, questions and tasty tidbits.

RIFF BAND

riffjournal@truefire.com

@riffjournal

ALISON HASBACH Editor-in-Chief

Ali (a.k.a. prioress of the ‘Fire) is a founding partner and chief shooting & branding officer who likewise holds a M.B.A. (master of brewing administration) in Coffee Imbibement. She is fanatical about all things artistic (especially TrueFire Artists).

BRAD WENDKOS Publisher

Born in a cross-fire hurricane to itinerant Appalachian mountain people and then sold for a barrel of gunpowder to a wandering clan of Eastern European gypsies, Brad (thankfully) found his way home at TrueFire.

TOMMY JAMIN

Studio Department Editor

Tommy Jamin is a graduate of the Recording Arts program at Full Sail University and has been crafting top-quality video and audio content as a professional digital media producer over the last 14 years. In addition to being Director of Production at TrueFire, he’s also a singer-songwriter, production gear & tech enthusiast and family man.

AMBER ROPELIS Creative Director

Amber is a easy going pixel crafter with a flair for all things typographical and music related. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design & Digital Media from the University of North Florida and has cozied into her niche as Creative Director here at TrueFire. SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

facebook.com/riffjournal

JEFF SCHEETZ

Educational Department Editor

Jeff is the Director of Education at TrueFire, has released 8 music CDs, and 6 video instruction courses. He’s been a teacher for over 30 years and brings his own method and style to students from around the world. He has written guitar columns for many magazines and conducted workshops and clinics throughout the US, Europe and Mexico.

ZACH WENDKOS

Technology Department Editor

Zach holds a real M.B.A. and scavenges the planet for the latest and greatest in online marketing and technology applications. He leads the charge in honing the student online experience at TrueFire and dreaming up the new and cool.

KYLER THOMANN Music Editor

With Creative Utility Knife skills, Kyler bridges web and print, video, and digital images and has a passion for live events and all things musical. With his finger on the pulse of the live music scene, Kyler brings a keen editorial spirit to the magazine..

A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER Photo by: Alison Hasbach | View off the 18th hole, St Andrews Golf Course, Scotland

wasn’t born with a talent for music.” If I had a nickel every time I’ve heard that, I’d be writing this from my mega-yacht in Tahiti. Sure, some children are gifted with an innate talent for music, but ALL children are born with a primitive musicality wired directly into their DNA. Anyone can learn to play an instrument. “I practice all the time, but I don’t get better.” Another common fallacy. It’s not duration or frequency of practice that moves the dial — it’s about what and how you practice. K. Anders Ericsson’s widely accepted treatise suggests a more “deliberate” approach to practicing. “We agree that expert performance is qualitatively different from normal performance. However, we deny that these differences are immutable, that is, due to innate talent. Instead, we argue that the differences between expert performers and normal adults reflect a deliberate effort to improve performance in a specific domain. Under a regime of deliberate practice, the individual is never quite satisfied and is always pushing a little bit beyond his/her capability, actively and incrementally expanding that capability.”

Corbett Barr boils down Ericsson’s approach into four essential components, 1) You must be motivated to attend to the task and exert effort to improve your performance; 2) The design of the task should take into account your pre-existing knowledge so that the task can be correctly understood after a brief period of instruction; 3) You should receive immediate informative feedback and knowledge of results of your performance; 4) You should repeatedly perform the same or similar tasks. The artists and educators featured in this issue of RIFF likely never heard of Ericsson or his Deliberate Practice paper, but they all have, in their own ways, been very deliberate with their practice regimens and the results speak for themselves. The good news for those of us that have not yet achieved virtuoso skills is we can stop blaming our gene pool, and start getting a lot smarter with our own practice sessions. This RIFF’s for you!

Brad Wendkos || Head Smoke Jumper RIFF 5

SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

Photos by Alison Hasbach

Last year, on July 16, 2014, the world lost one of the true shining stars of the guitar, legendary blues/rock guitar great Johnny Winter. Back in the winter of ’68, the unknown and unsigned twenty-four year-old Winter arrived in New York City as a newfound guitar slinger from the small, rural town of Beaumont, Texas, armed with little more than an overflowing arsenal of fiery blues guitar ammunition. Nothing much about him was known, but the wordof-mouth was white-hot: Rolling Stone had

called him a “cross-eyed albino with long, fleecy hair, who plays some of the gutsiest, fluid blues guitar you’ve ever heard.” Instigated by the Rolling Stone article, Steve Paul, musical entrepreneur and owner of the trendy New York nightspot The Scene Club, tracked Johnny down in Texas and brought him to the big city with the intention of securing a record deal. On Johnny’s very first night in town, he joined his old friend Mike Bloomfield on stage

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at the Fillmore East [captured on Al Kooper & Mike Bloomfield — Fillmore East: The Lost Concert Tapes (Columbia/Legacy)] for a blues meltdown of the B.B. King classic, “It’s My Own Fault.” In his introduction of Winter, Bloomfield says, “this here is the baddest motherfucker, man!” “That time was a whirlwind,” Johnny reminisced. “I wanted to see everything that I could, all at once. Mike had been saying good things about me, and the day after playing with him, I went down to the Scene Club and played with Jimi Hendrix. “Within days, Steve started to negotiate with different labels, and there was a ‘bidding war’ between Atlantic and CBS; I ended up going with CBS for a reported $300,000 deal.” John Dawson Winter III was born on February 23, 1944 in Leland, Mississippi. Inspired by his father, a part-time musician, Johnny got his musical start at the age of four on the clarinet, and was soon singing regularly in the church choir. In the second grade, he switched over to the ukulele, which prepared him for his subsequent graduation, in the seventh grade, to the guitar. Addicted to the blues sounds that poured from his radio, Johnny was soon spending all of his lunch and after-school money on blues records. “I bought literally every blues record I could find!,” Johnny enthused. Johnny’s mid-late ‘60s drummer, the late great Uncle John “Red” Turner, concurred: “Johnny had thousands of blues records — more blues records than I’d ever seen. And he studied every one

of those records, let me tell you. There ain’t no one that knows more blues licks than Johnny Winter.” Tommy Shannon, Johnny’s bassist during the ‘60s (better known as half of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rhythm section, Double Trouble, the other half being drummer Chris Layton), details, “Johnny had this wall of blues records; it was really incredible. Everything from the most rural field hollers to the musical sophistication of Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, B.B. King and Guitar Slim. I got most of my blues education from listening to all of those records Johnny played for me. It was a crash course in the blues, and I loved every minute of it.” Speaking for myself, one of my most cherished life experiences is having had the opportunity to spend some time interviewing, playing with and getting to know Johnny Winter, who remains one of my biggest musical influences and most inspiring guitar heroes. Along with being a brilliant and innovative guitarist, he was a wonderful and warm person, and was truly one of a kind. In the accompanying audio interview, which took place on August 3, 1988 upon the release of his then-new album, Winter of ’88 [MCA/Voyager], Johnny discusses his earliest days discovering music and the guitar, his very first instruments, his decision to use a thumb pick as opposed to a conventional flat pick, his fascination with and dedication to the blues, and his close personal and professional relationship with blues great Muddy Waters.

Full Exclusive Audio Interview

SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

DIALING IN JOHNNY’S TECHNIQUE With Andy Aledort

One of the signature stylistic elements of Johnny Winter’s guitar playing is his complete mastery of Delta-style fingerpicked blues, constructed from intricate and melodic rhythm parts such as those he played on his own composition, “Sweet Papa John” and on the classic track he recorded with Muddy Waters, “Forever Lonely.” In my course, Slow Blues Power, I offer a variety of examples of fingerpicked delta-blues in Johnny Winter’s distinct style. Johnny Winter’s soloing style is earmarked by blazingly fast, clearly articulated lines that are often built from eighth- and 16th-note triplet figures. I utilize this approach for the improvised solos on the Rolling Stones inspired, “Flashy Jack,” from my course, Jam Night Vol. 1, and the Allman Brothers inspired, “Don’t You Love Me?,” from my course, Jam Night Vol. 3.

WANT MORE? VIEW ANDY'S COURSES ON TRUEFIRE

INTERVIEW EXCERPTS Johnny: “I grew up In Beaumont, about 90 miles from Houston, Texas, straight towards Louisiana. There was real good music around Beaumont, and in fact I didn’t realize how good it was until I left! I figured the music I was hearing, everybody else was hearing, too. But there were a lot of great bands that were just around that area, and a lot of little record companies that didn’t have much distribution outside of Texas and Louisiana. We got Cajun and Mexican music, blues, jazz, country and western…all that stuff. And you really had to play all of it if you wanted to play night clubs and also just to keep from getting killed!” Johnny: “My first guitar was just laying around the house, an old classical guitar that was my grandfather’s, and I think there was a $2 or $3 Stella too. The first real guitar that I ever got — an electric — was a Gibson ES-125, an arch-top guitar with one pickup and no cutaways. I had that for a couple years; I really loved that guitar. I went from that to a white Stratocaster from 1956. That was one of the many times I had a Fender but I never could play it quite right. I would have loved to have kept it, because it really was a great guitar.”

Johnny: “When I first started recording with Muddy [Waters], we had three guitar players—me, Muddy and Jimmy Rogers, and the guitarist Bob Margolin was playing bass. That lineup was on I’m Ready. My main focus making those records was to get the sound right, because, even though Muddy always played great on all of his records, he had a couple records he’d done right before we recorded together that weren’t very good. The sound quality wasn’t right. Recording technology had changed a lot and studios didn’t seem to know how to use the new equipment. Things were getting too “clean” and it was hard to get a blues or a hard rock record sounding the way it should. When I worked with Muddy, everything was mic’d up individually, but most of what ended up on the record was from the single room mic we had set up above all the musicians.”

Written by Andy Aledort

RIFF

La Dolce Vita

“ C O N T I N U A L LY S E E K I N G N E W W A Y S T O S H O W C A S E Y O U R C R E AT I V I T Y I S T H E F O U N D AT I O N F O R S U C C E S S . A N D I F, F O R S O M E R E A S O N , THE PROJECT DOESN’T TURN OUT TO BE A COMMERCIAL SUCCESS, I T W I L L S T I L L B E S O M E T H I N G Y O U C A N B E V E R Y P R O U D O F.” Written By Brad Wendkos

SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

-MASSIMO VARINI

RIFF

y father studied art in Florence, Italy. We moved there shortly after I was born and stayed until he graduated five years later and moved us all back to the US in Greenwich Village, where he opened a small studio on Bleecker street. Italian was my first language, and I too studied art for many years thinking I’d follow in my father’s footsteps. I was a poor art student and failed art history I don’t know how many times. Nonetheless, I’ve always been drawn to the old Italian masters in particular. DaVinci and Michelangelo of course, but also Botticelli, Donatello, Bernini and so many other

Photos Courtesy of the Artist

Italian artists of those times. I can’t intelligently discuss their work or their lives (failing art history class), but their work and their passion for their art resonates with me on some deep inexplicable level. Another Italian artist that fascinates me for many of the same reasons isn’t a painter and wasn’t born several hundreds of years ago. His name is Massimo Varini and his passion for music and life shines as bright as any of the aforementioned old masters. I first heard Massimo perform on acoustic guitar at the Soave Music Festival, an intimate gathering of Italian and American guitar players. The festival was staged annually by Pierpaolo Adda in the town of Soave, just outside of Verona (of Romeo and Juliet fame).

Massimo played original compositions in sync to short films that he had also produced. The performances blew everyone away. The next day, we had lunch at the local pizzeria and explored ways to work together, distance and language being the primary challenges.

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The more I learned about Massimo, the more intrigued I became. A quick Google revealed that not only was he one of Europe’s top session players on both electric and acoustic guitar, he was also Italy’s most popular and successful educator.

I remember two things about that lunch. The pizza was incredible and Massimo was instantly likable. We talked about our shared passion for music and education, but other than that, Massimo really didn’t talk about himself. We joked about the “blah, blah, blah” that usually occurs at events like those where people meet, but then fail to follow up with each other. We finished our pizzas and returned to the festival activities.

HE COMPOSES, P R O D U C E S , P E R F O R M S , EDUCATES AND EVERYTHING HE PUTS HIS HANDS ON WINDS UP AT THE TOP OF THE CHARTS.

Massimo’s credits span 45-million records sold and two Grammys. He’s played and collaborated with a veritable Who’s Who of European artists. He composes, produces, performs, educates and everything he puts his hands on winds up at the top of the charts.

Not a peep of any of this during our pizza lunch. So, I have to add humble to the long list of qualities that we love about Massimo here at TrueFire. He’s visited our studios twice so far, and both projects are stellar educational experiences, which we are very proud of and which students rave about. So, no “blah, blah, blah” here! We’ve shared many meals and glasses of wine (try Amarone, Primitivo, Syrah and Sangiovese!) since that first lunch and with each new encounter my respect for who Massimo is as a person grows and grows. Massimo tells us that his father was his biggest fan. Tragically, he passed away during the sound check for Massimo’s very first gig as a professional. “It was so hard for me to play that night, but ever since, I

RIFF

SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

RIFF

“SE SEI IL PRIM PRIMO A

Д WANT MORE? VIEW SHERYL’S COURSES ON TRUEFIRE

O AD ACCONTENTARTI, SARAI IL DOVERSI GIUSTIFICARE.” feel my father with me on stage every night.”

think daily about improving one’s skills.”

I asked Massimo what he felt were the most important principles to practice as a professional musician. “Always give it your maximum commitment, even if it’s a simple, easy session. Always be punctual. Never speak ill of others. And make sure your instruments are fully and perfectly functional.”

Even though the electric guitar is Massimo’s main instrument, his passion for the acoustic guitar is infectious, “I really love to play live with my acoustic guitar. When I’m on stage and I play my songs, I’m telling a part of the story of my life. I like to meet people, to get energy and emotions from them to write about in my music.”

One of the things that always interest me is asking musicians what they think about the changing business landscape of the music business. Massimo’s response was refreshingly positive, “Usually, the negative sides are also the positives sides and vice-versa. The Internet has enabled many more people to try their hand at music. The earnings are now different, but, by its very nature, it allows for tremendous freedom. However, one thing will never change: creativity is always the most important thing. Continually seeking new ways to showcase your creativity is the foundation for success. And if, for some reason, the project doesn’t turn out to be a commercial success, it will still be something you can be very proud of.

I asked Massimo what he would be if not a musician, “I like the countryside, especially animals… perhaps a farmer. But I also really care about the environment, and so I’d find being an alternativeenergy engineer would be very interesting. Whatever I did, though, it certainly would have to be centered on my main philosophy: try to do things right, with all my being, and with respect for others.”

I also think that a musician has to think about his skills and try to become better every day. This means studying, listening to music, watching TV and surfing the web to understand where the music is going. It’s important to have an open mind and

Our friendship grows with every new project and so it’s an honor to introduce him to you here in this edition of RIFF. I leave you with this last bit of advice from my fascinating Italian friend … “Se sei il primo ad accontentarti, sarai il primo a doversi giustificare.” Loosely translated, it means that by being the first to settle and make excuses to yourself, then you’ll certainly be the first one who has to explain those bad choices to others. Never settle.

www.massimovarini.it

RIFF

Written By Jeff Scheetz

SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

RIFF

Being a jazz virtuoso is no easy task. But for Sheryl Bailey it’s all in a day’s work. Whether she is sharing the stage with jazz luminaries, or doing her much revered “day job” of being a professor at Berklee (one of the most esteemed music colleges anywhere), she exudes virtuoso….and jazz.

While rock stars are focusing on their tight jeans, for Sheryl it’s all in the genes – yes the biological ones. She explains it this way: “I’m the 4th generation of professional musicians: my great grandmother and mother were classical pianists/ organists and my grandmother published several books on an extremely important subject that has been discarded by recent trends, Eurhythmics. That’s always curious to me, since one of my main focuses as a player and teacher is on developing time feel and rhythmic phrasing.” So with all that classical piano background what was it that drew her to the guitar? “Rock music” Sheryl tells me. That and “being a rebellious youngest child, the guitar and rock music was about as far away as you could get from the piano and classical and American Song Book music.” Yet another potentially “productive” youth derailed by rock music! Yeah!

So how did she blend all of those styles, and where did the early influences come from? “My mother influenced me as a professional musician, and then for guitar it was Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, and Peter Frampton. My influences as a jazz musician were Charlie Parker and Sonny Stitt. Many musicians come to a crossroads where they have to

and leader in Drama Therapy, and my other sister is a visual artist and graphic designer, so it’s just what we do, being creative, it’s just a way of life; I never thought of it as a career.” With Sheryl’s whole family there are even more creative genes involved than we thought… the pool is deep! Sheryl is well known as a great player in the Bebop style. When asked what it is about Bebop and Swing that makes her so passionate, she replies, “The rhythm, harmony and improvisation. Swing feels amazing, there’s nothing more fun and joyful to me than swinging! Except maybe lush and beautiful chord voicings, and the ability to create my own solo in my own voice. What’s not to love?” Teaching is a big part of what Sheryl does. Being a professor at Berklee, and an instructor at TrueFire, she sees a lot of students. What would be the one bit of advice most of her students could benefit

“SWING FEELS AMAZING, THERE’S NOTHING MORE FUN AND JOYFUL TO ME THAN SWINGING! EXCEPT MAYBE LUSH AND BEAUTIFUL CHORD VOICINGS, AND THE ABILITY TO CREATE MY OWN SOLO IN MY OWN VOICE. WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE?”

SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

“face the music” and decide if they are going to try and make a go of playing music for a living or just do it as a hobby. So was there a specific time where Sheryl decided to make music her career? “When I was really young, my goal was to be a great artist or poet. You have to understand that in addition to my family’s musical footsteps to follow, my brother is a professional cartoonist, my eldest sister is an author

Photos by: Alison Hasbach

from? “By paying attention to your sense of time and groove and how you express your ideas rhythmically you can jump to the highest levels of artistry and musicianship. This is the universal issue with ALL of the students I see, no matter what style or experience. Without rhythm, it’s all just a bunch of notes, and the notes themselves have nothing to say, because the messenger is time and the message is rhythm. That’s what makes a great player. Period.” Besides getting their chops and rhythm together, what is it that makes a good student of guitar? “Curiosity, and the willingness to suck. You can’t have an ego if you want to grow, you have to be able to look closely at yourself in the mirror and be honest and be willing to open your mind. The student/teacher relationship flourishes from trust, so to really advance, the student needs to feel comfortable asking questions. Students that ask the most questions get the most answers.” That is GREAT advice! With all this playing and teaching and creating, what is next on Sheryl’s musical journey? “I have a brand new acoustic project with the amazing bassist, Harvie S. The project is called ‘Plucky Strum.’ I find playing the acoustic guitar extremely challenging, and the music we have both composed for the project is very challenging. Harvie was always one of my idols growing up (check out ‘In A Different Light’ - a recording

he did with Mike Stern, Mick Goodrick, John Scofield and Gene Bertonicini!) so I’m really excited to play with someone of his caliber, and I’m loving the intimacy of playing unplugged and in a duo setting. I have a quartet with pianist Jim Ridl, bassist Andy McKee and drummer Joe Strasser that I’d like to record next, probably a live setting at a club, and there is talk about a follow up to the ‘A New Promise’ project (MCG Jazz), produced by Grammy Award-winning producer, Marty Ashby. It’s still in the discussion and planning stages, but he’s dreaming up something fabulous with strings, which would be a totally new direction for me. Besides that, I just got back from a month of touring with my organ trio in Asia, and I was really impressed by the excitement for jazz there, so I want to continue developing my career as a performer and educator in that region of the world. And of course the instrument itself challenges me everyday, so my main goal each day is to be a better guitarist and musician.” Judging from the generations of musicians and creative souls in her family that have preceded her, I am sure the musical ideas will not soon run out for Sheryl, and many tours and projects lie just over the horizon for her to explore and for us to enjoy as the fruits of these journeys.

www.sherylbailey.com

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WANT MORE? VIEW SHERYL'S COURSES ON TRUEFIRE

RIFF

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Written By Brad Wendkos

RIFF

ELITE

MOV The Navy has its SEALs, the Army its Rangers, the Marines have their Raiders, and law enforcement has their SWAT. All comprised of select individuals, trained to the max, able to withstand the harshest of circumstances and overcome any obstacle that comes between them and their objective. The society of guitarists is largely a peace-loving, easy-going community, but we too have an elite force of players who are frequently called upon to perform above and beyond. This is a far smaller number of individuals than any of the aforementioned special forces groups; perhaps less than even a dozen players walking the planet today. The only way to earn this badge and gain acceptance into this elite group is to first be fortunate enough to have been born with some kind of supernatural music gene. Discipline, conviction, intense study and thousands of hours of practice are the next requisite steps.

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VEMENT Then put it all to into play across 25 or more uber-successful years of session work playing on hundreds of records, movie soundtracks and TV shows just to make sure you’ve conquered every genre and sub-genre of music.

Just for good measure, while you’re doing all that session work, compose and produce your own music and maybe even gig steady as lead guitarist for a top band playing stadiums. Hone all those requisite technical skills and creative acumen to perfection and only then will one earn their way into this elite group of guitarists. I’m lucky enough to know just a couple of these elite players and Carl Verheyen is one of them. He can play anything, and play it to perfection. He’s

also one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, with the biggest heart, always with a smile on his face, and always eager to take on any challenge. A true testament of a musician’s talent is how his peers regard him. Robben Ford calls him “a REAL guitar player.” Joe Bonamassa calls him the “master.” Albert Lee is “amazed by his versatility and technique.” Steve Lukather says, “He can do anything.” I could fill the page with dozens of similar accolades from other top artists and guitarists and so, If you’re not already familiar with Carl, I urge you to immediately add him to your “must check out” list and tune in to “one of the best players of our generation.” I asked Carl to participate in one of my quasiProust interviews just to give RIFF readers a peek at the man behind the music. I’m thankful he had the interest and time to do so. Listen to one of his records while reading this!

RIFF

Photo by: Alison Hasbach

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WANT MORE? VIEW CARL’S COURSES ON TRUEFIRE

TF: Why guitar? What is it about the instrument that

resonates with you? CV: First and foremost it’s the sound. Tones from both electric and acoustic guitars inspire me to higher levels of playing. There’s the pure joy of hearing that sound in the air. Then there’s the fact that it can be played solo or with other musicians. It can accompany itself or a voice, standing or sitting. And the fact that, unlike the keyboard, the audience can see what you’re playing which I believe has a lot to do with its continued popularity.

you have a much better chance of recouping your expenses now that there are so few record companies involved. It’s back to being a cottage industry that you can control because the middle man is out. I believe that the CD and vinyl will be around for a long time as it’s still something the audience can walk away with after a show.

TF: Your idea of happiness? CV: A great tone, a great audience and a nice red wine in the dressing room after the show.

TF: If not yourself, who would you be? CV: Not sure, but my son wishes I was Floyd

TF: What do you dream about? Literally and

TF: Your favorite food and drink? CV: Anything that doesn’t eat or drink me first.

TF: With the changing landscape of the music

Mayweather.

Artichokes, Italian food when I’m in Italy and oysters with that red wine vinaigrette.

TF: Name the three most important things you

learned — and now practice — about earning a living as a guitar player? CV: 1) Whenever you pick up the instrument, play your very best. Every gig is important. 2) Learn every style you can. Nothing you learn on the guitar will be bad for you or hurt your playing. You’ll be infinitely more hirable if you can play more than one kind of music. 3) I always make sure I devote some of my practice time to the next thing I have coming up. If it’s a sight reading session, I pull out some music to read through. If it’s a solo acoustic show or a CVB concert I practice that material.

TF: Your favorite motto? CV: I WILL NOT SUCK!

professionally? CV: Girls.

business, what do you do today to maintain your career as a musician? CV: Under the banner of “solo artist” there are many income streams that have become available. Besides the obvious performing outlets as a soloist, with a band or with another group of players, there is a solid merchandise income stream. As a guest on other artist’s records, I can play sessions above and beyond the typical sideman work. I’m often asked to produce records of other artists. Then there are the educational outlets. I teach private lessons, master classes and rhythm section clinics all over the world while on the road. And of course, online educational outlets like TrueFire have become another way to reach people and pass the musical knowledge down to the next generation.

TF: The natural talent I’d like to be gifted with (other than music)? CV : Cooking! I’m only good with the barbecue.

TF: In life or in music, what one thing have you

TF: Your favorite heroes in fiction? CV: Moby Dick, Colonel Klink and Agent 99 TF: Given all the negatives about the changing

business landscape of the music business and how tough it is to sell records etc. What are the positives about the current evolution of the music business? CV: If you have a business model and figure out a “now what” plan after you’ve recorded your music,

learned that you’d like to pass on to our readers? CV: In music you never stop learning and growing. Jeff Beck and Joe Zawinul come to mind as role models. Never stop working on your music. Only write lyrics when you have something to say and never play in front of a paying audience anything less than perfectly sober and in total control.

www.carlverheyen.com RIFF

LESSONS

SKILL LEVEL - BEGINNER

FEAR

MASTERY

WHAT IF WHAT YOU DO TO SURVIVE KILLS THE THINGS YOU LOVE FEAR’S A DANGEROUS THING IT CAN TURN YOUR HEART BLACK YOU CAN TRUST… --BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, “DEVILS & DUST” PRACTICE TIPS

ON OVERCOMING FEAR Written by Les Wise

Fear is a powerful thing. It can make you do things you don’t want to do. It also can prevent you from doing the things you really love. If you’re reading this, then I suspect it’s safe to assume that playing music is one of your greatest loves in life. Unfortunately, learning to play music and the desire to become a great musician usually brings with it some uncomfortable emotional baggage—and one of the heaviest and most pernicious items of emotional luggage

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we often carry around with us is fear. Fear is a self-generated mental state that comes to us from a variety of sources, part psychological, part social and even part physical. Yet whatever the root causes of fear, the simplest explanation is that it remains a self-generated mental state, and that means it’s subject to deliberate reconditioning. You may think you have good reasons to be afraid, and in some cases this might be true, but that doesn’t change the fact that fear is a mental state within, and not some outside entity that’s looking to impose its will on you. The really bad part about fear is that when we feel it, and particularly when we let it dominate our thoughts, it acts as a kind of emotional pollutant that renders our musical minds toxic. Nowhere are the verities of fear more poisonous to us than when we engage in what I call “practicing from fear.” I’ve been a guitar teacher for more than three decades, and I’ve taught thousands of students how to master the mechanics of their instrument, and master the principles of music theory. Throughout the years, I’ve come to recognize that fear of all sorts of negative consequences is what’s most often at the root of a lack of progress and growth. Yet how can fear dominate the thing we as musicians really love to do? The answers here are complex, but they generally fall into two main categories.

TOO MUCH TO LEARN, TOO LITTLE TIME

One of the biggest fear generators I’ve come across is the overwhelming sense of not being able to master a lot of material in the limited amount of time we all have. Even if you have the luxury of being able to practice 12 hours a day or more, you will never be able to learn all there is to know about every musical style, every genre, every nuance, etc. The conscious knowledge that you are a human being that necessarily has limited memory, learning capacity and time is something we all possess intellectually, but when we sit down to practice we often want to try to master it all in as little time as possible. Well, reality is such that you will never be able to master everything in the time you have. Sadly, the attempt to master more than you are ever able to results in the absence of the focused and deliberate practice necessary to get really good on the key techniques that you must master first, if you ever want to be a good player. In this case, the fear comes from an overwhelming sense of too much to learn, and too little time to learn it all. The fear of not being able to learn it all tends to lead you into practicing from fear, which in reality translates into a shotgun approach to practice where you learn a little bit about everything, and not a lot about anything at all. The old adage, “Jack of all trades, master of none,” is the phrase that applies here. The result of your fear of not learning it all results in not learning much very well—and that realization tends to fuel more fears, including those in the second main category.

AN OVERWHELMING SENSE OF BEING OVERWHELMED

When we first pick up our instruments and start learning how to play, nearly every day brings with it a sense of discovery and promise. New chords, new scales, new voicings, new songs, etc.—It's all a rewarding adventure. Then you start to wonder if you could actually be good enough to make this hobby something more, something really meaningful to you, and maybe even something professional. It is here when the fear of never becoming a great player starts to creep in.

RIFF

We know that if we want to be great, we have to practice perfectly, and put in as much quality time as we can. Yet the very realization of this fear tends to cultivate a sense of being utterly overwhelmed at the prospect. The fear of never “making it” to the level you aspire to has the perverse effect of causing paralysis in your progress. You begin practicing from fear, or more likely you avoid practicing altogether, because you are overwhelmed by the thought that maybe you just don’t have what it takes to be great. If either of these fear categories seem familiar to you, trust me, you’re not alone. We all have these kinds of fears rattling around in our minds. What I’ve discovered through my 30-plus years teaching students is that the only way to overcome practicing from fear is through deliberate, focused, “in the moment” action that takes you from one point of mastery to the next. I say “mastery” here, because at the very core of overcoming practicing from fear is the mastery of the self. Conditioning your mind to focus on the task at hand (playing in perfect time, using perfect picking technique, reaching for precisely the right note when bending a string) is a process that requires total focus from moment to moment. By concentrating on the task at hand moment to moment, and with the proper instructional assistance, you can achieve mastery of that moment. When you do, that is the point at which you will find your fear melt away, and that’s when you will start to feel at one with your instrument—and with the world.

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ABOUT THE EDUCATOR Les Wise Les Wise is a world-renowned guitarist with over 30 years of professional experience touring and recording. He was one of the first instructors at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, Calif., where he taught thousands of students the art and science of becoming better musicians. Over those years, he had the privilege to have taught Frank Gamble, Scott Henderson, Jennifer Batton, Steve Trovato, Paul Gilbert and Norman Brown to name a few. Les is the author of six books, including Jazz Improvisation for Guitar, Jazz Solo for Guitar, Bebop Licks, Bebop Licks for Piano, Bebop Licks for B-Flat Instruments, and Bebop Licks for E-Flat Instruments.

VIEW LESâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; COURSE LIBRARY

RIFF

LESSONS

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SKILL LEVEL - LATE INTERMEDIATE

RAG

AMERICANA ACOUSTIC

BLACK MOUNTAIN RAG Written by Marcy Marxer

This version of the fiddle tune Black Mt. Rag is inspired by the playing of Doc Watson, a pioneer in American guitar playing. Doc was born in Deep Gap, North Carolina in 1923. He suffered an eye infection before his 1st birthday that left him blind. Doc came from a musical family that recorded an album of traditional old time music for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings released in 1963. These recordings were a great success propelling the careers of the family and Doc as a solo performer. Doc went on to release several albums and toured extensively with his son Merle Watson until Merle’s passing in 1985 at age 36. Doc and friend David Holt won a GRAMMY Award in 2002 for the three CD set of music and interviews called “Legacy” on High Windy Audio and can be found at www.highwindy.com. Doc passed away in 2012 at the age of 89. I was lucky to see Doc and Merle play live many times starting in the 1970s. He was an inspiration to all who knew him. Cathy Fink and I played at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina several times over the years. Doc started MerleFest in honor and memory of his son Merle who was also a fantastic guitar player. Merle learned from the Master, his dad, keeping the family tradition of passing the music from one generation to the next. There was a time not all that long ago when we needed to go to the source in order to learn the music. It was an honor to be able to sit down with the Masters and learn directly from them. Oh, the stories they told! It was a wonderful experience. The only downside was that not so many people had the chance to learn from our heroes first hand. TrueFire puts the world of music at our fingertips. Many of the old Masters have passed on but they would be proud to know that their music continues.

Click to Listen to Audio Clip

RIFF

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ABOUT THE EDUCATOR Marcy Marxer Marcy Marxer, two-time Grammy winner, is a master of several stringed instruments. She is extraordinarily dialed into traditional roots music be it old-time country, folk, bluegrass and of course swing. Marxer has over 50 recordings to her credit and has been honored with 8 Signature Model Instruments from C.F. Martin & Co., Gold Tone Instruments, National Reso-Phonics and Kala. Marcy also happens to be a very gifted instructor.

VIEW MARCYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S COURSE LIBRARY RIFF

LESSONS

SKILL LEVEL - LATE BEGINNER

SPEED

INTERNALIZATION

PRACTICE TIPS

READING MUSIC

BUILDING BLOCKS FOR GUITARISTS Written by Mark Wein

The one thing that I have run across in my 25+ years of teaching guitar is that it is not an easy instrument to learn. Thousands of people buy guitars every year, learn to finger a few chords or play a few riffs through tablature or YouTube videos and are happy with that level of playing or become frustrated with their lack of progress and either quit or look for lessons. I own a brick and mortar music school in Southern California. Before that I had taught guitar privately and in the classroom so

I have “fought the good fight” with literally thousands of students of all ages and levels of experience. The common thread that I see running through most students’ struggling with the instrument is that they lack an internalization of both their physical skills to play the instrument and of music itself. For my purposes, internalization refers to owning your information or skills well enough that you don’t need to consciously think about them to make music. They become as automatic or involuntary as breathing or walking. These skills (especially the most fundamental ones) are the building blocks that we make music from. The physical skills portion of this is easy to fix. It just requires hours and hours of practice in a constructive manner, and with the student working on the information in smaller and easily digestible “bites”. When I was in college one of my professors put it this way: if I walked an elephant in here and gave you a fork and knife could you eat it in one sitting? Probably not. But if

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we ate an elephant steak every day for a year you could work your way through all of it. Learn your music a bite at a time, digest it and let it become musical nutrition for you. Play a new scale SLOWLY with a metronome to make sure you have it right before trying to shred a solo with it. Accuracy and speed are two different musical parameters. You can only improve one at a time and you should have something accurate before you make it fast. Smaller bites! Sometimes the most important bites are the ones that define the most basic of concepts. I have had students on break from a national tour with their band not understand basic subdivisions of time or even where their notes are on the fretboard. And the vast majority of my students do not know how to read music. The music reading thing is a problem. If you were to learn any other instrument you would expect that reading music would be part of the learning process and through that process you would learn what and where your notes are on your instrument. You would also learn

RIFF

how to read and play rhythms, dynamics, articulations and all sorts of information that makes music.... musical. Lots of “blocks” to build from in learning to read music. And yeah, I’m mixing metaphors between elephant steaks and building materials, but I think you get the idea :) Music reading on the guitar is (in my estimation) more difficult than pretty much any other instrument between a complex fretboard layout and the fact that you have two hands trying to master two completely different skill sets for this all to come together. If you go the classical guitar route then you are definitely learning to read music. The majority of my students happen to be rock, blues and jazz enthusiasts though. My “kid” students all end up learning to read music at least a little bit because I’m mean that way. When I teach my adult students I’ve needed to find

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ways around the music reading “thing”. Most adults have preconceived notions of how they should learn and limited time in their busy schedules to work on what is for them essentially a hobby. If I get obnoxious with the music school stuff on them they’ll most likely get burnt out and quit playing altogether. This is where the “smaller bites” concept starts paying dividends.... At the core of all of this, what my job has become is to teach people how to make specific sounds in a specific rhythm. Music on a very fundamental level is just a series of pitched sounds happening in time. If we can teach you to internalize how the most basic subdivisions of time work and we can organize the pitched sounds in a way that makes sense to your ears we are on our way to become a musician, and not just a guitar owner. In the attached video I discuss subdivisions of time.

I am aiming this at beginning and early-intermediate players who have some ability on the instrument but might struggle a bit with playing in time. You can do the single note exercises with any scale that you know and the rhythm guitar stuff can be on any barre or movable chord shape. What is important is that you get the concept of subdivision of time, as it happens in real time. When we play music in the real world there is no time to stop and go back to fix something and

if you slow down to think about what is coming up next or how to finger a difficult chord or any of that. Becoming acclimated to (and able to play music in) the consistent flow of time in music is vital. If you want to start working on the “pitched’ component of your musicianship, my “CAGED and Beyond” workshop is now available on TrueFire.com.

ABOUT THE EDUCATOR Mark Wein Mark Wein is a working guitarist and teacher in Southern California. Since 2004 he has owned Premier Music, a music school in Orange CA where he teaches privately, performance classes and online lessons through TrueFire, Skype and YouTube. Mark performs regularly with his own band, the Ken Foerch Group and a variety of working groups. Mark is the author of “Foundations for Guitar” and “Expanded Blues Guitar” and he released the Contemporary Blues album “Black Market Hearts” in 2014.

VIEW MARK’S COURSE LIBRARY RIFF

LESSONS

SKILL LEVEL - ADVANCED

PROGRESSIONS HARMONY

LESS

THE POWER OF LESS Written by Harvey Valdes

Let’s face it, playing chords with awkward fingerings is a pain in the hand. But this shouldn’t stop us from exploring all of our harmonic possibilities. Oftentimes by eliminating notes from a difficult grip, we end up with really unique sounds. So, playing less usually gives us more! In Example 1, I have a laid out a ii V I progression in the key of Bb Major. You’ll see that for each chord I’ve weaved in a bit of harmonic color to help modernize the sound of the progression. Try playing through the example a few times. You’ll notice there is a good amount of voice leading that makes this series of chords flow smoothly, including the use of close interval sounds such as 2nds. And, notice in measure 2 the use of the tritone sub, B9, for the V chord F7. But, the grips themselves could slow anyone down. If this progression were played in a solo setting, the difficulty of the grips wouldn’t matter so much because you could break the rules of metric time. But, in a duo or group setting where time can be a factor, you might want an easier way to move from chord to chord. So, let me show you how we can maintain the sounds of this spiced up ii V I by a process of elimination.

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Example 1 - ii V I EXAMPLE 1 - ii V I

Standard tuning

Standard Tuning

= 120 Cm9 1

B9 2

BbMajor9 3

Bb6/9 4

Guitar

6 4 7

5 4 6

5 3 5

3 3 5

If we take away the bass note in each of the chords, we are left with a three-note-voicing as shown in Example 2. If you were comping in a group, you could easily move from chord to chord. And if there’s a bass player holding it down, there’s no need to crowd the low register anyway. Here’s the great thing, although the bass notes are gone, we still retain the harmonic color of each chord. Plus, it gets us thinking and hearing beyond from having to voice a chord with the root in the bass.

Example 2 - ii V I Three Note Voicings EXAMPLE 2 - ii V I Three-Note-Voicings

Standard tuning

Standard Tuning

= 120 Cm9 1

B9 2

BbMajor9 3

Bb6/9 4

Guitar 6 4 7

5 4 6

5 3 5

3 3 5

RIFF

Example 3 - ii V I Dyad Voicings EXAMPLE 3 - ii V I Dyad Voicings

Standard tuning

Standard Tuning

= 120 Cm9

BbMajor9

Guitar

4 7

4 6

3 5

Now, let’s take things a step further. Example 3 shows each chord as two notes, also known as dyads. By taking away the notes of the first string, we are left with major and minor 2nd intervals representing each chord. This gives us a dissonant sound, and you might be thinking, “Is this even a chord?”. Though we have dropped individual notes from each chord, for the most part the chord character or quality is still retained. The use of dyads can open up our ears and change our perception of what a chord can be. Remember, less can be more. In Example 4, we lose the second string and bring back the first string. Now you have a dyad voicing consisting of the third and first string, which is essentially a 6th interval in measures 1-3 and a perfect 5th in measure 4.

Example 4 - ii V I Dyad Voicings EXAMPLE 4 - ii V I

Standard tuning

Dyad Voicings

Standard Tuning

= 120 Cm9 1

B9 2

BbMajor9 3

Bb6/9 4

Guitar

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Example 5 - ii V I Dyad Voicings EXAMPLE 5 - ii V I Dyad Voicings

Standard tuning

Standard Tuning

= 120 Cm9

BbMajor9

Bb6/9

S-Gt

4 7

4 6

3 5

And hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where the fun really begins! Example 5 takes our previous dyad voicings from Examples 3 & 4 and combines them in each measure. By going back and forth between close dissonant 2nds and open sounding 6ths we can create a good amount of harmonic and melodic movement throughout the whole progression. As you can see, all it takes is a little thinking outside the box to make big things happen with harmony. Your fingers will thank you and your perception of chords will be broadened. Keep experimenting and explore the second and first string dyads on your own. You could also add in the bass note again and create some really wide sounding dyads if you like. You could even play just one note out of each chord. Endless possibilities! As always, follow your ear and have fun!

ABOUT THE EDUCATOR Harvey Valdes Guitarist/oud player, Harvey Valdes, has an eclectic musical journey spanning the East and the West, the electric and the acoustic, the ensemble and the solo voice. Traversing expansive stylistic ground from jazz, classical, world, to funk, rock, and avant-garde. He is active as sideman in NYCĂs improvised music scene as well as leading his own trio exploring polytonality and odd meter. Harvey is a sought after guitar instructor in the NYC area teaching privately in person and through Skype. He is also a sherpa instructor for TrueFire.

VIEW HARVEY'S COURSE LIBRARY RIFF

LESSONS

SKILL LEVEL - INTERMEDIATE

ALBERT KING

BLUES

BENDS

KING ALBERT: GETTING A GRIP ON THE EXPRESSIVE SIGNATURE BENDING TECHNIQUES OF LEGENDARY BLUES GREAT ALBERT KING Written by Andy Aledort

One of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists that ever lived is the incomparable Albert King (April 25, 1923 – December 2, 1992), known for his incredible string-bending mastery as well as his signature use of a Gibson Flying V guitar, which he played left-handed and strung upside down and backwards. Albert’s one-ofa-kind soloing style, earmarked by stinging, fingerpicked vocal-like bends and inventive and distinct melodic sensibility, served as a primary influence on the improvisational styles of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and countless other guitarists. His timeless recordings will certainly continue to inspire guitarists for many generations to come. Albert learned to play on a guitar strung for a righty—he simply flipped the guitar over and played it in a lefthanded manner, resulting in the strings being positioned “upside-down” as compared to the normal stringing of a guitar. In other words, instead of the fattest, lowest-pitched string placed closest to the ceiling, the thinnest highest-pitched string is instead placed closest to the ceiling while the lowest pitched string is positioned closest to the floor. For a right-handed guitar player, the only way to replicate Albert’s stringing (other than to take a guitar strung for a lefty and turning it upside down) is to remove all of the strings and reverse the order, with the high E string strung where the low E string usually goes, followed by the B string, the G string, etc.

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Another hugely important element is the fact that Albert tuned his guitar down one and a half steps (low to high: C# F# B E G# C#), facilitating the execution of the great variety of string-bending techniques that comprise so much of his approach to soloing. These different aspects of Albert’s set-up make the replication of his licks very challenging when playing, as most of us do, on a standard tuned guitar that is strung in a conventional manner. So, unless you’d prefer to play upside down and tuned down a step and a half, you will have to take the course charted by Jeff and Eric and Jimi and Stevie (the latter of whom both routinely tuned down one half step), to devise other ways to achieve similar results, all of which are addressed in the following examples. The great majority of Albert’s licks were played on the top three unwound strings, and oftentimes he’d play a long series of phrases on the highest string alone while remaining “parked” in one position, with the fret-hand index finger fretting the root note for the key he was playing in, and the middle or ring finger used to bend notes fretted higher on the neck. FIGURES 1a-c illustrate three licks played in Albert’s style: in FIGURE 1a, an A root note is played as a pick-up into bar 2, where I begin with a fretted C bent gradually up two whole steps to E; the bend is then released and the note is vibrato-ed, followed by consecutive two- and one-step bends from C. The phrases wraps up by alternating between A and C. For all of the bends, be sure to align the other fingers behind the fretting finger to aid in bending accuracy, as the proper intonation of these bends requires significant fret-hand strength. FIGURES 1b and 1c offer two other phrases played in the identical manner; notice the great variety in the melodic content between each of these licks.

FIGURE 1 Slow Blues

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Another essential Albert King technique involves the bending of multiple strings at once, as illustrated in FIGURE 2: on beat one of bars 1, 2 and 3, the high E, B and G strings are all bent at once, fretted with the ring finger positioned at the eighth fret. When bending the high E, catch the other two strings under the tip of the fretting finger. Notice that when the high E string is bent up two whole steps, the B string is bent in the vicinity of a whole step and the G string is bent in the vicinity of a half step.

FIGURE 2 Slow Blues

Another essential technique involves the incorporation of pre-bends, wherein a string is pre-bent a specific amount before it is sounded. In FIGURES 3a and 3b, two-step bends on the high E are followed by one- and one-and-a-half pre-bends on the high E. Albert was a master of microtonal bending, so use your ear and listen closely to insure you have complete control over the notes that are sounded when the string is pre-bent. These days, most electric guitarists use a standard .010 set (.010, 0.13, .017, .026, .036, .046) but you may want to try a lighter set (.009.5s, .009s or .008s, etc.) to get closer to the slack-string feel Albert attained via tuning down a step and a half.

FIGURE 3 Slow Blues

SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

RECOMMENDED LISTENING BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN

LIVE WIRE/BLUES POWER

Born Under a Bad Sign dates back to a time when albums were collections of singles, and when singles, designed for radio and jukebox play, seldom ran more than three and a half minutes.

King signed with Stax in 1966 and soon began winning over young white listeners and released this album the same year. His serrate vocals and homey chats are superfluous.

BLUES AT SUNSET

ULTIMATE COLLECTION

This 1973 live album brings together five sides from a 1972 concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with four sides from Albert King’s 1973 performance at the Montreux Blues and Jazz Festival.

The set consists of a journey through the career of Albert King. With openers such as “Natural Ball” and “Don’t Throw Your Love On Me So Strong” (which actually comes from a Billie Holliday track!) it moves on to the rare Coun-tree sides.

ABOUT THE EDUCATOR Andy Aledort Andy Aledort has performed all across the globe with legendary musicians like Buddy Guy, Dickey Betts, the Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble, Edgar Winter, Paul Rodgers, and Jimi Hendrix’s original band mates Mitch Mitchell, Buddy Miles and Billy Cox. Additionally, for over 30 years Aledort has served as editor for the top guitar magazines such as GUITAR WORLD and GUITAR FOR THE PRACTICING MUSICIAN. His work as a journalist, instructional columnist and music transcriber is unsurpassed.

VIEW ANDY’S COURSE LIBRARY RIFF

SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

SONNY LANDRETH

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Written By Jeff Scheetz

Sometimes an artist comes along who just plays…well…differently. They not only have their own voice, but they have a unique way of reaching deep down into their soul to drag that voice out. Such is the case with Sonny Landreth. The first thing most other guitarists say when they see him play is “how does he do that?” In truth, that’s usually the second thing they say as it typically follows a few expletives, wide eyes and shaking heads. But for Sonny, it’s no big deal. It is just the way he plays the guitar. He started out playing like most of us do. As a matter of fact, this strange obsession started when he was just a kid from Mississippi. He says, “Elvis Presley was a big deal, and seeing his first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show with the guitar, and especially Scotty Moore – I was hooked. My older brother and I had these little toy plastic Elvis guitars and we used to entertain family, trying to be Elvis.” Of course, we all know that Sonny catapulted well past the chucka, chucka of Elvis tunes when he put that smooth slide on his finger. So how does one cross that bridge? Sonny tells me, “I started playing trumpet when I was 10, and then got my real guitar at 13. But it wasn’t until I was about 16 that I really got into the Delta Blues. I got the first Paul Butterfield album with Mike Bloomfield, and on the album next to his name, it said “slide guitar” and I didn’t even know what that was! I researched it the best I could. Back in those days we didn’t have all the resources like we do today. But that led me to the Delta Bluesmen and I just fell in love with the sound, it just captivated me.” Sonny’s academic trumpet background led him to look for a guitar teacher when it was time to learn guitar. But after being forced to learn “Three Blind Mice” and other exciting tunes, like many a young discouraged guitar rebel, he lost interest. He started just listening to records and got a job working at the local music store. That was where an older kid asked Sonny if he had heard of Chet Atkins. According to Sonny, once he started digging into that, “It just blew my mind, cause he was playing melody, rhythm and bass lines at the same time. So once I learned how to apply that fingerstyle approach like Chet, that was when things really started happening for me in terms of finding my way on the guitar.” A lot of players listen to some Delta Blues, slap a slide on their finger and play some cool stuff. However, Sonny has taken the slide to a completely different place, with unique techniques that push the boundaries of what one might think possible. Was that

“...YEARS LATER I REALIZED THAT ALL MY JAZZ HEROES THAT I HAD ON TRUMPET AND MY BLUES HEROES I HAD ON GUITAR WERE ALL SEEKING TO EMULATE THE HUMAN VOICE WITH THEIR INSTRUMENT.”

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something he intentionally tried to do? Or did it just happen? “I started out playing guitar with a flatpick like everybody else, but the vocal quality and the lyrical aspect of slide playing really caught my ear. The fact that I was raised in south Louisiana where music was such a way of life in the Creole and Cajun culture; that I was taking trumpet in school and learning guitar on my own; all these different sounds helped shape what I did. Years later I realized that all my jazz heroes that I had on trumpet and my blues heroes I had on guitar were all seeking to emulate the human voice with their instrument.” Finding his own voice on the guitar has certainly led Sonny down a path that most guitarists only dream of. He has played Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival every year! Was there a magical method to getting that gig? Nope. As is often the case, hard work + patience + networking + being ready, with a little luck thrown in gets it done. Sonny tells the story of how his collaboration with Clapton came about. “The interesting thing is I had a connection with Eric from way back even though we had never met. I hooked up with these English cats that were living in Tulsa, Oklahoma (believe it or not). They had started a record company in Tulsa and invited me up there, and that entailed using some of Eric’s band who were based out of Tulsa. This was around 1977, and we went up and recorded some songs, and we knew they would get played for Eric. Since I had this connection, I was home one day and just sat down with my resonator guitar, a metal body dobro, browneck style, and I just made a tape for Eric. Just Delta inspired solo stuff. I sent it to my friends in Tulsa and they got it to Eric through the band, and some years later I found out he still had that tape and was playing it for people.” Just that would be enough for most guitarists – “Hey! Clapton is jamming out to my tunes!” But Sonny wanted to get to meet him so he went down to New Orleans when Eric was playing a show, but he says, “there was a misfire and my name wasn’t

on the list, so I couldn’t get into the concert.” That, at least, makes us mortals feel better. Here is Sonny Landreth standing around outside the arena hoping to meet the man like everyone else. But fate would dangle another opportunity Sonny explains. “As they were leaving, I saw the drummer and told him I couldn’t get in. He said ‘Man, we are going down to hang out at the Acid Bar in the Quarter so come by.’ I went there and met the band. Eric was up at the bar, but I turned to say something to somebody, and when I turned around he had left, so I missed meeting him again! It wasn’t until years later that he invited me to play at the Crossroads Festival that I finally met him and we became good friends.” That is a great lesson to be learned for all musicians…perseverance! Want to get a gig or meet someone? Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen right away. Sonny has some great advice about this. “I tell people, it may not be the way you have envisioned it, in fact often times it’s not. It’s something that happens indirectly. You could be at a gig in a little bar and you don’t think anything of it, but there might be somebody there who knows somebody else, who knows somebody else. You might do a session or sit in at a live gig and someone hears you. That’s how it happens. So you have to open yourself up to those opportunities.” After this long and amazing career, what is there left to accomplish? Is there anything still out there that Sonny would like to do? “I never want to miss out on any opportunities! There are a ton of people out there I would like to work with. Looking ahead I really want to do an acoustic album, get some of the Resonators and old Nationals out and

“...I SENT IT TO MY FRIENDS IN TULSA AND THEY GOT IT TO ERIC [CLAPTON] THROUGH THE BAND, AND SOME YEARS LATER I FOUND OUT HE STILL HAD THAT TAPE AND WAS PLAYING IT FOR PEOPLE.” RIFF

SUMMER 2015 |VIEW ISSUE 4 WANT MORE? SONNY’S

COURSES ON TRUEFIRE

go back to some of these songs that were more electric and interpret them acoustically. There is also something I am trying to accomplish in the electric world, and that is getting so that every note is so present and articulate in it’s definition in complex chords for slide. I think that is going to entail a special multi-band distortion. I’ve been hearing that in my head for a long time, so I am just trying to figure out the best way to do it.” Can a player who is at Sonny’s level still find inspiration and encouragement to delve even deeper into their own playing to squeeze out anything that remains? Sonny thinks so, “The technical end can inspire the music and vice versa, because you develop techniques that you bring back into the music. That was one of the eye opening things about making my new album. Going back to some of the old blues tunes and realizing how different they seem now compared to when I first learned them. As time went by and I developed these new techniques, I brought them into these old songs, and then the songs would inform the techniques. So it’s kind of the beautiful dance.” Sonny has that same fire as other great players who just keep playing. Their quest for finding and sharing a unique voice in their art is what makes them reach down into a place where nobody else can see anything there, and yet they come up with a handful of amazing notes and beats that keep us all smiling. It is indeed the beautiful dance.

“...AS TIME WENT BY AND I DEVELOPED THESE NEW TECHNIQUES, I BROUGHT THEM INTO THESE OLD SONGS, AND THEN THE SONGS WOULD INFORM THE TECHNIQUES. SO IT’S KIND OF THE BEAUTIFUL DANCE.”

www.sonnylandreth.com

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By David Becker

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I made my first European trip when I was two years old, just as my two older brothers had done before me (although I believe I was in the womb on one of our family trips). Every year, we would travel for a month, usually during the school semester, so my parents would give a note to the principal excusing us. We would receive homework, but never did it. I think somehow we knew that travel would be the best education we could get! By the time I was 11, I had crossed the Atlantic Ocean 18 times. Of course having a Dutch mother (actually born in Indonesia, but that’s another story) and an American father who worked for the airlines during the heyday of air travel (1960’s-70’s), I was destined to have been bitten by the travel bug. The fact that my family was musical sealed the deal on becoming a traveling musician. My very first musical trip was in 1981 at the age of 19 when I’d just graduated GIT. My goal was to play in Europe and find a recording contract. By age 22, with several more trips under my belt,

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I LIKE LIVING OUT OF A SUITCASE AND SLEEPING IN HOTELS. I GUESS I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SOMEWHAT NOMADIC, BUT I THINK THIS TRAIT EXISTS SOMEWHERE IN ALL OF OUR DNA.

eventually booked my trio (David Becker Tribune) a European tour. This would be a great eye opener to road life as a musician. From that first European leg, we toured another 3 months throughout the USA and hit close to 50 cities. A recording contract with MCA soon followed and the rest, as they say, is history.

Being a traveling musician for more than 30 years now, I have reached some interesting perspectives about life in general. The actual musical part of my travels is only about 2-3 hours a day if that, however the rest is still a very important performance. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a performance that you

only get one shot at! Many have complained about the difficulties of road life and travel in general, but even after more than 50 years, I still enjoy the process. In fact, I enjoy it more now than ever. I like living out of a suitcase and sleeping in hotels. I guess I have always been somewhat nomadic, but I think this trait exists somewhere in all of our DNA. What is home really? I find the one night here or a week there is also a kind of home in itself and these situations offer the same pleasures and challenges of being in one place. The bottom line is we are all confronted by the constant interaction with other people and this is always a challenge no matter where you are or how you live. In 2011, I reached the Million Miler frequent flyer status and like most business travelers, I spend a great deal of time in airports and on planes. I

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“WHEN THE FINAL NOTES ARE PLAYED OR THE LAST FLIGHT IS BOARDED, ALL I CAN TAKE WITH ME AS CARRY ON LUGGAGE ARE THOSE MOMENTS OF CLEAR AWARENESS.” find it extremely interesting chatting with CEO’s, computer programmers, consultants, airline pilots, flight attendants or just people going on an overdue vacation. This brief interaction, which in some cases may only last a few minutes to a few hours depending on the circumstances, gives me the same resonance that performing a concert, teaching a master class or a recording session does. Even when the travel gods are against me, I still make it a point to remind myself how fortunate I am to be able to do this and I NEVER take it for granted! In fact, it has taught me a very valuable life lesson: the “grass is always greener” mentality exists everywhere and with everyone. Everywhere is paradise and everywhere is hell. What determines your destination is our attitude toward what is happening in that moment and how we choose to perceive it. A good rule of thumb I’ve learned is to always tell yourself no matter what happens, “It’s the best it can be right now.” Fighting the difficulties only makes things worse. Letting go of the fight does not mean giving up or giving in, it simply means you agree to be where you are and accept things as they are. As soon as you do this, things begin to ease up and it does actually get better. The road has also taught me be resilient, aware, grateful and most of all patient. I confess the last of the four is not always easy for me, but I do try to make the effort even if it is sometimes after the fact. Being impatient always makes the situation more unbearable, so again I follow my own words of wisdom. It’s just like practicing your instrument. Some days it flows easier than others. When the final notes are played or the last flight is boarded, all I can take with me as carry on luggage

are those moments of clear awareness. I’m referring to a beautiful sunset, a nice conversation, a fine meal, a cafe latte, a group of Guanacos in the Andes, a bus ride in Hungary sitting next to an alcoholic, an overcrowded NYC subway ride in July, an impolite hotel clerk, a sarcastic waiter or waitress, an incompetent customer service rep, an annoying guy sitting next to me in seat 3B, a 6-hour flight delay, waiting for a hotel shuttle at 4am at Boston airport in the snow, a broken down tour bus in Argentina, etc. I think you get the idea of where I’m going with this. Travel has taught me about life. It has taught me to see all places from the inside and from the outside. It has also taught me to keep my senses open and be ready to learn something new and most of all to be tolerant of whatever or whoever comes my way. As I continue my lifelong tour, I will remind myself of the things that are most important and I will simply enjoy each moment, because that’s all there is.

Written by David Becker

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Foreword By Jeff Scheetz

SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

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“IT CO

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OMES DOWN TO HARD WORK, AND PRACTICE” Jeff McErlain is a gritty guitarist with a long history of playing and teaching. His blues trio can be seen pouring it out on the stage in clubs in NYC, and his recordings exemplify his soulful playing and writing. But when I sat down with Jeff, I wanted to get inside the mind of one of the long-running top instructors at TrueFire. What is it that makes him so passionate about teaching? What is it that makes him resonate with students? While Jeff is a great player, we live in a world of great players, so what is it that makes his teaching special? We dug into this conversation about teaching and explored his thoughts on being both a good teacher and a good student.

TF: When did you first start teaching guitar? JEFF: Right out of Berklee actually. I think the gig that really started

me down this path was teaching at the National Guitar Workshop. I was 21 and their youngest teacher at the time. I was hired to teach the heavy metal classes for six weeks straight all day. That style of guitar was at its zenith then with guys like Vai, Satch, and Yngwie, so all the classes were full and I loved every second of it! I also started teaching at some local music stores in NJ where I grew up. Shortly after that I moved to NYC and had to start all over again building the practice. There is just a little more competition...

TF: So you seemed like you jumped in to teaching with both feet! What was it that drew you in to teaching?

JEFF: One of the greatest rewards of teaching is seeing a student

smile when I show them something new or open a door to them as a player or musician. I know I love that feeling of discovery to this day, I feel like a perpetual student myself. It’s immensely satisfying to share information and my love of music and the guitar with others. It’s like I’m contributing to society in my own little way and hopefully enriching

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“IT’S IMMENSELY SATISFYING TO SHARE INFORMATION AND MY LO GUITAR WITH OTHERS. IT’S LIKE I’M CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIETY I people’s lives by helping them play music and maybe get out of their daily routine. It makes people happy and that makes me happy! I also love the people I meet, I have taught musicians, celebrities, dignitaries, politicians, artists, writers, directors, photographers, investments bankers, and more. Teaching guitar has brought me around the world and I have met people I would never have met otherwise. The connecting thread is music and guitar, and that’s very rewarding.

TF: I have known a lot of players who thought they

wanted to teach, but they were not able to make a go of it. I know there are a variety of reasons why some may fail, but in your experience what do you think makes a good teacher?

JEFF: Many things, with the overriding one

being it’s about the student, not the teacher. Many students come to me after working with other teachers where they say they just sat there and watched the teacher play. Obviously that doesn’t lead to an enriching experience for them and is just bad teaching. I see it as an honor when someone wants to study with me and I take it seriously. It’s very easy to scare students away if you come on too strong or too heavy-handed. Always strive to make the lessons as fun as possible while actually teaching something. You need to be cognizant of their lives, as well since many of my students are adults and do this for fun in their free time. How much time do they have to practice, what are their goals as a player, basically, how serious are they? These are all things that need to be taken into consideration. For example, if I get a 45 year old guy who has been playing all his life, he has a job, a family and that leaves him maybe an hour or two a week to practice. I have to treat him much differently than the teenager wanting to go to music school. The one-size-fits-all lesson doesn’t fit all. It is also important to have a methodology in your teaching. Using a pretty solid learning path

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developed over years is something that I use with most students of every level. That has been an enormously beneficial outcome of preparing my TrueFire courses, planning them and teaching the information in a simple methodical way.

TF: Do you feel like being a teacher has helped your own playing?

JEFF: Absolutely! Along with gigging, it has made

a huge difference in my playing. Teaching at the National Guitar Workshop very early on, I was explaining the modes. Now, I already knew them, but I remember having a real lightbulb moment where I now understood them on a different level through teaching. This happens a fair amount and oftentimes share that moment with the student “wow, I just thought of this, let’s check it out together.” I love that aspect of music and teaching… discovering something new about the instrument even on things that I thought I knew! I have songs that came out of exercises I was developing for my students.

TF: What advice can we give students from a

teacher’s perspective - what is the most common problem you see students have?

JEFF: Being overwhelmed with the amount

of information available to them and becoming frozen, maybe spreading themselves too thin. Neither makes for a good outcome. Try to narrow down what they need to work on to a few simple concepts. Students very often underestimate the importance of the basics and want to run before walking. It’s like everything in life! For example, I teach a lot of blues of course, people come in asking me about the modes, arpeggios, or some more advanced stuff. The first thing I will do is ask them to just play the blues for me and do some soloing. Very often this will show them what they really need to know, and almost without fail it will be the basics. Oh yeah, and lay off the gear obsession, with the forums and YouTube, many guys get more involved

OVE OF MUSIC AND THE IN MY OWN LITTLE WAY...”

WANT MORE? VIEW JEFF’S COURSES ON TRUEFIRE

in having the “right” amp or pedal etc. None of those things will make you a better player unless you can already play and you want to fine tune things. A decent amp and guitar is all you need.

TF: What should a student do or ask to get the most from a teacher?

JEFF: Suggest a student research the teacher

before they start working with them. That’s very easy to do these days. Certainly ask questions, ask what the teacher’s long term plan is, always give the teacher feedback on how you feel the lessons are going. One-on-one instruction is very different from a classroom, direct feedback is key.

TF: With technology as advanced as it is today, and

lessons available to anyone, sometimes guitarists still don’t take lessons, but rather try to go it alone. Do you think this is just a guitarist thing – sort of a throwback to the old days of rebellious guitar players? With many

other instruments people automatically take lessons, but not always with guitar.

JEFF: Yeah, I think it’s that rebellious thing that all

guitar players have. People say to me “Jimi Hendrix didn’t know what he was doing…” and my response is “Oh really?” Some of these people may not have known what they were doing from a pedagogical standpoint, but they knew the SOUND of what they were doing. They understood it in their own way. A lot of these guys, Hendrix for example, are supremely talented as well so that didn’t hurt. But talent only goes so far, it comes down to hard work, and practice. I’ve heard Billy Gibbons talk about when he was touring with Hendrix how he would carry around a reel-to-reel tape recorder with him just so he could learn Clapton and Jeff Beck licks in the hotel. That was his classroom. We mere mortals need lessons, I have taken them since I was 12 and still study with people here and there.

www.jeffmcerlain.com RIFF

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BEHIND THE GLASS WRITTEN BY TOMMY JAMIN

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’m going to tell you about how my session with one of my favorite artists went last week, but first, I have to start out by painting you all a picture of the dream job I have as the Head of Studio Production at TrueFire. I wake up to the realization that instead of having to drag myself into some lackluster cubicle for my day-to-day, I get to work in a state-of-the-art recording studio, equipped with wall-to-wall cutting edge audio and video gear. And as you may have guessed, I love gear, but the gear isn’t even the half of it. Working with some of the greatest musicians on the planet is truly a gift - I advise them and take advice from them, laugh with them, hear the latest stories from the road, and I learn from them - about guitar and about life. And if that wasn’t enough, at the end of the day, we share a meal, great conversation, and cocktails. And this isn’t Bruce and Jerry from “corporate” during the yearly work retreat, it’s the one-and-only Larry Carlton, Tommy Emmanuel, Robben Ford, Pat Martino, and the list goes on. I mean, come on, I have some of

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the coolest co-workers anyone could ask for on the other side of the glass - it’s incredible! Not to mention that the artists and educators we work with are some of the greatest people, with some of the biggest hearts I’ve ever known, and every session is just another opportunity to make a new friendship with a truly unique traveler of this world. It honestly doesn’t feel like work at all. OK, I digress. Sheryl Bailey returned from Japan a few weeks before her latest shoot with us recently in St. Pete. She had been touring Asia with her jazz trio in support of her latest record, “A Meeting Of Minds,” and when she returned home from the whirlwind of international touring, she returned to a big list of looming domestic projects and deadlines. Sheryl lives in New York as a well-respected and celebrated jazz artist, while holding an associate professor position at Berklee - she’s a pro, no doubt, so when our conference call came up on my calendar a couple of weeks before our shoot, I had total confidence that she would be well prepared. “Tommy, is this call a part of my lucid dream?” I laughed as those first words broadcasted out over

FEATURING SHERYL BAILEY FEATURING SHERYL BAILEY

the speakerphone in my office. I was instantly excited to get to work and hang with her again, and I knew at that instant that she had been working intensely to get all the prep for her course done. I wouldn’t be disappointed. Sheryl’s latest bebop offering serves up a polished, new addition to our new Essentials series, composed of ten original performance videos that also include play-along tracks, full guitar transcriptions and tablature, and breakdown lessons that divulge all of the valuable insights and approaches employed. She’s one incredible educator, an amazing player, and a riot of a hang nonetheless. She also shreds, but that’s another story. We picked her up from the hotel on the morning of our shoot at 9:30am, gently nestling her into “the cloud” - that’s our pet name for the studio set named for the giant, pale white, 8-foot diffusers and massive, twin 8-bank, 4-foot fluorescent lighting banks. We sound-checked, made a few framing tweaks and were up and rolling video by 10am. Outside of the occasional second take to outdo a previous level of perfection, she knocked it right out

in a string of first-takers that’ll leave the best of us scrambling for the breakdown video. We probably shot for 3 hours, broke for lunch, and then wrapped up with another 3 hours including her photo shoot with the creative team and the course intro video. Sheryl’s course runs a little longer than two and a half hours and we shot it in a day. It’s focused, and it’s loaded with inspiration and motivating bebop coolness. That reflects Sheryl’s personality. She’s cool and mellow, yet bright and energetic, and that same energy permeates right through into every solo she plays. Remember when I was reveling earlier in my job coolness? Well, I also get to listen to Sheryl Bailey’s velvet-wrapped, micro-cosmic bebop lines all day, floating up and down dominant 7 scales like chromatic strokes from an artist’s brush. Throughout the shoot, I thought back to our call a few times too, chuckling about that thing she said about being part of her lucid dream. Maybe that was the case, but it’s more likely that she’s a part of mine.

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GEEK SPEAK

Compiled by Rich Maloof

SKUNK STRIPE VS. BACKSTRIP A skunk stripe is a dark strip of wood on the back of a guitar neck used to cover routing for a truss rod. When an unpainted neck is made of a light-colored wood like maple and the piece used to cover the truss channel is walnut or another dark wood, it looks something like a skunk’s tail. Think Pepé Le Pew.

BACKSTRIP

SKUNK STRIPE

A backstrip is the narrow, ornamental strip on the back of an acoustic guitar’s body along the center seam. Backstrips typically feature patterns of inlaid wood veneer called marquetry.

SIX-STRING AFICIONADOS: STUDENT PROFILE

STUDENT PROFILE

ANDY SMITH The life-blood of TrueFire’s student population is the lifelong student of guitar. Each issue we’ll get to know one of these passionistas of guitar.

TF: What do you do for a living? SMITH: By day I work as a physical therapist. I’m

based in a primary care health centre, so I get to help people with a range of different musculoskeletal problems. Occasionally, I might see a musician with either a posture-related pain, or a tendonopathy.

TF: What is your practice regime? How do you go about learning?

SMITH: Well, I try not to have a fixed regime actually.

(living or dead)? SMITH: I would love to have been at one of Mama Cass’ BBQ gatherings in Laurel Canyon, back in the day...that way I would get to rub shoulders with the likes of Crosby, Stills Nash and Young, Clapton, The Byrds, The Doors, Joni Mitchel etc etc. Crazy, but incredibly inspirational times!

TF: If you were stranded on a desert island, what one

The assignments I get from my teacher, Jeff McErlain at the Juke Joint, provide me with structure and focus, but the whole point of getting better at the guitar for me is that it should be fun and rewarding. So, if I don’t do a practice session for a day or two, I try not to beat myself up about it. Inspiration is everywhere and sometimes trying to force it is counter-productive.

guitar would you like to have with you (yes, electricity is on the island). SMITH: Only one!? Mmm..that’s tough ;-) I think I would choose my modded Mexican Fender Cabronita, with TV Jones Duo-Tron pickups. It plays and sounds amazing and looks damn cool too! It’s also pretty lightweight for a tele, so I should be able to make a raft out it and get off the dessert island ;-)

TF: Why do you think music is important to someone’s

TF: If you could be in any band (current or past) which

life?

SMITH: Ah man! How much space do we have?! It can be everything - a primeval form of creative expression, mood-alteration, era-defining, cultural identification, life-changing, inspirational…

TF: If you could learn to play any one thing, what would it be? Song, solo, piece etc. SMITH: Anything by Nigel Tufnel…his solos are his trademark ;-)

TF: Who is your favorite guitarist and why? SMITH: I am definitely more influenced by players

with great “feel” and unique style, rather than fast, technical players. Attitude counts for so much too…I’m thinking Townsend, Steve Marriott, early Clapton and Beck…it’s hard not to mention Hendrix in the list. He has always been a big influence on me, particularly his rhythm style on tracks like “Castles Made of Sand” and “Angel”.

TF: What musician would you like to have dinner with

band would you like to be in? SMITH: Well, without doubt, the Stones’s ’68-’73 period was the pinnacle of rock n roll! There must have been something incredible about being a part of the mid-60s British blues explosion too: Bluesbreakers, Yardbird, Birds, Cream, Pretty Things. It’s incredible to imagine just how quickly music evolved during this time. Only 10 years separate “Jailhouse Rock” and “Purple Haze”.

TF: Finish this sentence, ”If everyone on the planet

played guitar….” SMITH: …there would be less trees and more cows without nuts

TF: Describe your biggest ‘aha’ moment on guitar. SMITH: Well, I suppose I could learn how to play

“Take On Me”, but I’m not a fan of A-Ha ;-) But seriously, since I’ve been taking lessons with Jeff on TrueFire and getting deeper into scales, it’s really opened up the fretboard for me. It’s been like “Google Translate” for the language of guitar.

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HOUSE NEWS

ARTIST DIRECTORY Artists Featured in this Edition of Riff

ANDY ALEDORT Andy Aledort has performed all across the globe with legendary musicians like Buddy Guy, Dickey Betts, the Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble, Edgar Winter, Paul Rodgers, and Jimi Hendrix’s original band mates Mitch Mitchell, Buddy Miles and Billy Cox. Additionally, for over 30 years Aledort has served as editor for the top guitar magazines such as GUITAR WORLD and GUITAR FOR THE PRACTICING MUSICIAN. His work as a journalist, instructional columnist and music transcriber is unsurpassed.

SHERYL BAILEY Sheryl Bailey is a band leader and recording artist. She has toured and recorded with Richard Bona, David Krakauerís Ancestral Groove, Abraham Inc., John Zorn, Irene Cara, George Lea Delaria, Garzone, Jack Wilkins, Shingo Okudaira, Steve Slagle, Harvie S, Ken Peplowski, Kim Plainfield, and Gary Thomas. As an educator, she has been Professor of Guitar at Berklee College of Music since 2000, is faculty at The Collective School of Music in NYC, and has hosted master classes and workshops worldwide.

DAVID BECKER For more than 25 years, two time Grammy nominated guitarist, composer and producer David Becker has continued to define himself as one of the best and most unique voices in jazz and contemporary music by combining diverse influences and a passion for the new and different. Together with his brother Bruce on drums, they have led the critically acclaimed DAVID BECKER TRIBUNE to a worldwide audience by performing in more than 20 countries.

SONNY LANDRETH Sonny Landreth is known as "the King of Slydeco" and plays with a strong zydeco influence. Guitarist Eric Clapton has said that Landreth is one of the most advanced guitarists in the world and one of the most under-appreciated. Landreth is best known for his slide guitar playing, having developed a technique where he also frets notes and plays chords and chord fragments by fretting behind the slide while he plays.

RICH MALOOF Maloof has contributed to TrueFire lessons both on camera and as a producer. Formerly the Editor In Chief of Guitar magazine, Rich has written The Way They Play, Alternate Tunings for Guitar, Joe Satriani: Riff By Riff, the biography of amp legend Jim Marshall. He is the founding editor of the student magazine InTune and has edited for Billboard, Hal Leonard Publishing, BackBeat Books, For Dummies, GuitarOne, Guitar Shop, and others.

MARCY MARXER Marcy Marxer, two-time Grammy winner, is a master of several stringed instruments. She is extraordinarily dialed into traditional roots music be it old-time country, folk, bluegrass and of course swing. Marxer has over 50 recordings to her credit and has been honored with 8 Signature Model Instruments from C.F. Martin & Co., Gold Tone Instruments, National Reso-Phonics and Kala. Marcy also happens to be a very gifted instructor.

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JEFF MCERLAIN Jeff McErlain has been playing professionally and honing his craft as a guitar teacher for over twenty-five years. He’s now at the top of his field in guitar instruction, teaching lessons both out of his studio in NYC and around the globe via Skype. Jeff is a pioneer of on-line guitar education through both his customized personal lessons and his on-line guitar classroom, “The Juke Joint”. Apart from his own workshops, Jeff has taught at the Crown Guitar Festival, National Guitar Workshop and The Bath Guitar Festival.

HARVEY VALDES Guitarist/oud player, Harvey Valdes, has an eclectic musical journey spanning the East and the West, the electric and the acoustic, the ensemble and the solo voice. Traversing expansive stylistic ground from jazz, classical, world, to funk, rock, and avant-garde. He's active as sideman in NYC’s improvised music scene as well as leading his own trio exploring polytonality and odd meter. Harvey is a sought after guitar instructor in the NYC area teaching privately in person and through Skype. He is also a sherpa instructor for TrueFire.

MASSIMO VARINI Italian artist Massimo Varini is a guitar player, composer, arranger (from recording albums to shows and musicals), producer, director, and educator. He holds the bestselling education book in Italy since 2007. He has worked with some of the most famous Italian and foreign singers, arrangers, producers and musicians: Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti, Nek, Biagio Antonacci, and many many others! He won 2 Latin Grammy Awards and has played on over 46 million records!

CARL VERHEYEN In his 50-plus years of playing the instrument, Carl has created a wildly successful, multi-faceted career. He is a critically acclaimed musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, producer and educator. Commonly regarded as a guitar virtuoso capable of playing any style of music with remarkable mastery and conviction, he has been one of LA’s elite “first call” session players for the past 35 years. Carl has played to millions of enthusiastic fans in sold out arenas worldwide.

MARK WEIN Mark Wein is a working guitarist and teacher in Southern California. Since 2004 he has owned Premier Music, a music school in Orange CA where he teaches privately, performance classes and online lessons through TrueFire, Skype and YouTube. Mark performs regularly with his own band, the Ken Foerch Group and a variety of working groups. Mark is the author of “Foundations for Guitar” and “Expanded Blues Guitar” and he released the Contemporary Blues album “Black Market Hearts” in 2014..

LES WISE Les Wise is a world-renowned guitarist with over 30 years of professional experience touring and recording. Les also is a legendary music educator and author. He was one of the first instructors at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, Calif., where he taught thousands of students the art and science of becoming better musicians. Over those years, he had the privilege to have taught Frank Gamble, Scott Henderson Jennifer Batton, Steve Trovato, Paul Gilbert and Norman Brown to name a few. RIFF

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Lessons COMPILATION ALBUM

RIFFAGE: VOLUME 4 Here ye, here ye! Audiophiles, guitar aficionados and enlightened children of the ‘Fire — prepare thy ears and hearts for magical music from the artists and educators featured in this edition of RIFF. Click the download button below for your personal copy of RIFFAGE Volume 4…

The High Side - Sonny Landreth Our Lives - Massimo Varini Taylor’s Blues - Carl Verheyen For Jimmy - Sheryl Bailey Right By Your Side - Andy Aledort Seat 3A - David Becker Do You Remember - Jeff McErlain Brasil - Marcy Marxer All the Things You Are - Harvey Valdes Someone Else’s Fool - Mark Wein

Download the FREE Album

SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

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BEHIND THE MIX We can’t say it enough — the not-so-secret ingredients of TrueFire are the artists and educators that we are privileged to collaborate with. Not just amazingly talented educators, they are also brilliant composers, arrangers and recording artists in their own right. Enjoy their music and please visit their websites and social media networks.

Taylor’s Blues - Carl Verheyen ““Way back in the late 70s I began a practice discipline of writing down musical ideas whenever a good one popped into my head while improvising. This song probably came from a line I was working on for dominant 7th chords. Sliding into the tri-tone interval makes it unique, something you don’t hear everyday in the blues.” For Jimmy - Sheryl Bailey ““For Jimmy” is from my new all acoustic duo project with bass master, Harvie S. The project and debut CD is called “Plucky Strum.” “For Jimmy” is my composition for my mentor, the late and amazing guitarist, Jimmy Wyble.” Our Lives - Massimo Varini ““Our Lives: I wrote this song when me and Rossella discovered that she was pregnant. This song is simply talking about Our Lives. Is one of the most sweet song that I wrote The tuning is a Gmajor with a C in bass : CGDGBD (and sometimes I use an half step lower and 432Hz instead 440Hz).” The High Side - Sonny Landreth ““Sonny Landreth’s new album, Bound By The Blues, released June 8th on Provogue, marks a return to the slide guitarist’s musical roots. It presents a bold, big-sounding collection of recordings that climb to stratospheric heights of jazz informed improvisation.”

Do You Remember - Jeff McErlain ““This tune is called Do You Remember and it’s from my CD “I’m Tired”. My favorite instrumental songs have always set moods and had a cinematic quality to them. I like the mood this one sets and I leave it to your interpretation.”

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All the Things You Are - Harvey Valdes ““All the Things You Are, a very popular song from the Great American Songbook. It will be included on my upcoming solo guitar standards album, Roundabout, releasing in September 2015. All the songs off the record were recorded with little to no arrangements for an improvised performance.” Brasil - Marcy Marxer ““Aquerala do Brasil” is a Brazilian song, written by Ary Barroso in 1939. The swing style acoustic rhythm is played on my Signature Model CF Martin & Co. flattop guitar model MC3H. Ukulele and congas round out the fun.”

Someone Else’s Fool - Mark Wein ““About ‘Someone Else’s Fool’ - I’ve always wanted to write an 8 bar blues ‘Brad Paisleystyle’. Its a fairly straight forward Jimmy Reed or Robert Lockwood Jr kind of two guitar rhythm but I went a little more 'south' with the solo. I think the lyrics are pretty self explanatory...”

Seat 3A - David Becker ““Grammy nominee David Becker is as solid a straight-ahead jazz guitarist as you'll ever hear. But on his new album The Lonely Road, Becker leaves behind the collaborative nature of his usual trio for a solo outing, building an orchestra of guitars.” Right By Your Side - Andy Aledort ““ ‘Right By Your Side’ from Andy Aledort & the Groove Kings: Live at North Star. This is a slow, soul/R&B style tune that always connects really well with the audience. Big Bold as Lovely style outro solo.”

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SNAPSHOTs

g to-bombin o h p d a r B

Ma ssimo

Brad and Sher yl B ailey Studios in T rueFire

Ali and Leo Varini

Jeff McErlain in the big N YC SUMMER 2015 | ISSUE 4

Site of Famous Soave Guitar F estival Eatery Amleto

e in on stag y r e k ec z David Bce gettin’ jaz Fran

Brad photo-bombs Jeff McErlain’s British Blues

Larry Carlton, Johnny Winter and Slash at a press shindig RIFF